Beauty and the Beast
by mysteriousmissessnape
Summary: The Doctor gets a call from Martha about a one Donna Noble. Is Donna really safe, and whats her surprise? The Doctor will meet an old friend from his past who saves them.
1. Chapter 1

The phone rested against his chest, he could feel it through the flimsy material of his pocket. He could _always_ feel it. The phone that had stopped ringing ages ago. A familiar trill came from his pocket and he froze. The trill became more urgent without increasing in volume or speed, and he shoved his hand into his pocket. The I.D. said 'Martha.' It always said Martha. Flipping it open, he waited quietly for her to speak. Same routine as always.

"Doctor." Martha sounded breathless, his senses on high alert, his fingers twitching toward the mainframe 2 feet away from where he was standing.

"She's remembered Doctor." His hand fell away from the controls, his breathing rapidly increasing, his two hearts beating so furiously that one may have believed them to beat right out of his chest.

"No." The word slipped from his mouth sounding much like he meant to spit something foul from his lips instead. _No, the defense mechanism was supposed to keep her_ _ **safe**_ _._

"Is she-?" His voice refusing to budge around the rather large and sticky lump in his throat, tears filling his dark brown eyes. His voice had trembled, his mind already blaming himself, it was always one more.

"Oh no Doctor. No, she's alive, safe. I don't know how, but she's okay." Her voice echoed in his head, and his head hung to blink back the tears.

"One more thing." Martha's voice held a small smile he knew.

"She's waiting for you."

The phone fell from his hand as he went to the controls of the TARDIS, set the coordinations for Chiswick and disappeared with hardly a sound.

Wilfred Mott stood in his garden, telescope pointed to the sky, plaid capped head pointed down. A smile slowly etched itself across his wrinkled face. He turned on his heel, his hand up in a salute to this man in a blue box that he owed his life to. But the tall man who walked out was not who he remembered.

"I'm still the same person, Wilfred. Just a different face." He clasped Wilfred's hand in his own and smiled at the man who was as good as a father to him, wrinkled skin against calloused palms.

"Donna won't like this." Wilfred murmured quietly as he adjusted his cap.

"Oh no, she won't, but she'll understand. After all, she remembers me." Suddenly he turned and faced the doorway where Martha stood, tears shining in her dark eyes.

"Martha-" No sooner had he uttered her name, she bolted from the glass door and into his arms, crying freely as he awkwardly patted her back.

"It's really you. It's really you Doctor." A heavier voice sounded from behind the crying woman and he looked up into the familiar face of "Ricky" Mickey.

"So it is. Why don't we go inside, yes?" Wilfred took Martha from the Doctor's grasp and led her inside, motioning for Mickey to lead him in.

"How've you been Doctor?" Mickey's voice was Doctor's softer than he remembered, but he just nodded.

"Doctor. You've saved us so many times. I never actually thanked you. Martha and I, we've missed you. Stop by more often, won't you?" Mickey knew he sounded hopeless, but he would do whatever he needed to in order to see Martha happy again. Mickey noticed that he hadn't said anything and merely nodded his head. Mickey sighed and jogged up to the glass door as it started to rain. Watching the Doctor as he lifted his face to the sky, letting the drops hit and slide away, Mickey smiled and wondered when the last time the Doctor had felt the rain on his face was. When he finally got to the door, he stared into the living room, watching as one Donna Noble sat on the couch, hugging Martha tightly. Quietly he slipped into the room unnoticed by the two women, and as he got closer, he noticed the tears rolling unchecked down her face. After a moment or so he burst forward with great excitement evident on his face to grasp Donna, to feel for himself that she was really there.

"Doctor.." She whispered. "You've changed."

"Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, you've changed." He replied softly.

Carefully, he let her go to gaze her over. Not a second later he was crushing her to his chest, whispering softly to her.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry Donna. I've missed you so much."

Donna leaned back far enough to box his ears.

"Oi! I'm alive and well and you're apologising for something that could have happened but didn't. Now. There's something I want you to see before mum comes home, if you've stopped your blubbering."

Donna smiled wanly and watched as his grin grew. Holding out her hand for him to take, she pulled this gangly, strange man up the stairs and into a room painted like the night sky. Upon closer inspection he found a small TARDIS painted into the sky as well, right above a rather small bed.

"Why?"

"Well, Grandpa got bored one day after my failed marriage, funny that, and made up this room. He stopped looking in that telescope long enough to finish this up, then he was right back out to the bloody thing. Unfortunately for you, but something came out of my time with you."

Donna smirked at his expression and began walking down the stairs alone as the front door opened and a small voice shouted up to her.

"Mummy!"

 **Hello readers. I know I know, kind of a cliffie. Anywho, I'm in the process of writing the third chapter for this and I'll try to update every week if you'd like, but I can't make promises. Let me know what you guys thing, yeah? Reviews help me write more! Bye loves. 3**


	2. Chapter 2

Sylvia stood, staring at the mass of people congregated in her rather small living room. Donna crept down the stairs and toward a rather small pale girl who couldn't be older than 5, but he noticed that she was missing Donna's red hair. When Donna's hand fell on her shoulder, the girl let out a shriek and spun.

"Mummy! Who are they?" He watched as she asked, just as unafraid as both Donna and himself.

"They're my friends, Belle. Martha and Mickey. There's someone here to meet you love." She murmured and motioned for him to walk down the steps. As he gracelessly manuvered the stair case, skipping steps and huffing noiselessly, he noticed that Donna's hands rested on not only one side of Belle's chest, but both sides, evenly spaced apart.

"Hello Belle, I'm the Doctor." He folded his tall frame down to her size, watching as she measured him up. Her hands rose to press against his chest, directly over the beating of his two hearts. When Belle felt both beating, she gasped and grinned widely, pressing her small fingers against the cloth more thoroughly. She stared up at him, her eyes sparkling with wonder and so many questions balancing on the tip of her tongue.

"Yes Belle?" He whispered when she had yet to speak, and she started at the feel of his voice rumbling in his chest and in her hands.

"Are you…" Belle stopped and grabbed his hands, placing them against her oun chest. A sudden flash of tears filled his eyes as he felt two separate beats under his palms. No one had uttered a word as Belle and her new Doctor met, but now sniffling could be heard from Martha, a cough from Mickey, and a hidden hum from Wilfred. He looked up to a widely smiling Donna and a silently crying Sylvia. Looking back at Belle, he could tell that she wanted to say something yet didn't know if she could.

"Are you my father?" She blurted a moment later, clambering into his lap.

"I am."

"Where have you been then?" She asked innocently, laying her head against one strongly beating heart.

"I've been lost my dear. Lost in the stars. Locked away in a memory." He stated quietly, staring at Donna.

"Did you know, your mummy saved the world with me. Best temp in Chiswick, that one. She had the whole world locked inside her head." He watched as Belle's face filled with wonderas she glanced at her mum.

"What did you do mummy?" Belle whispered from her perch. He chuckled quietly and looked to Martha as Donna began regaling their daughter of stories from Pompeii and the Oods. 'Thank you' He mouthed to the woman, and watched her smile in silent response. Mickey's arm was draped over her shoulders protectively, and he nodded to the solemn man who had a child now splayed between his knees. A child who was half time lord. Unlike Jenny, Belle would never have to regenerate, she would never lose her small nose, her beautiful brown eyes would never turn green or blue, while her small frame would grow, it would never bend and break to become someone else's.

"Donna…" He murmured, not looking at the woman in question.

"Oi, you daft man. Look at me." Donna knelt down by him and Belle, who currently slept on quietly in his lap.

"If you want to stay, you can. Belle and I are also willing to go with you. Tell me what you want."

He looked at her quietly as if he were comtemplating her offer when he just wanted to look at her. He wanted to understand why she forgave him for hiding such a large part of her life, even if he meant only to save it.

"Doctor," Martha whispered quietly, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Donna, I.." He stopped, the words refusing to leave his mouth and he sighed before trying again.

"I'm sorry. I thought that you would get hurt if you remembered. I wiped your memory with you standing right in front of me, begging me not to, saying that you were supposed to stay with me forever. I'm so sorry Donna. How could you forgive me, and let me into your daughter's life?"

"You silly silly man. I forgive you because you thought you were doing the right thing. You were trying to save my life and keep me with my family. I know that hurt you more than it hurt me, after losing so many, you thought you lost me too. I remember how sad you looked when you had to take my memory."

"What do you remember, Donna?"

"Everything. The Adipose, the family from Pompeii, losing you the first time. Almost losing you the second time, taking in the TARDIS mainframe, being the best temp in Chiswick and saving your arse."

When Donna placed her hands on her hips, he couldn't help but realize exactly how much he had missed her. Their easy companionship, their past. Hopefully their future with her fierce attitude and blazing red hair. The future he could see with their daughter in tow.

"And I'll let you in on a little secret Doctor. I still have all of that information burning around up here." She tapped the side of her head with a beige colored nail, smiling happily.

"Donna…" His voice warned, a tense urgency in the undertone. She merely shook her head and looked for Martha to help.

"Doctor," Martha butted in carefully. "She's safe. The knowledge is there, but it won't hurt her. Mickey and I had our arses handed to us when we tried to calm her earlier." Martha's voice was clear with a slight hand of humor.

"What?" He took Belle and handed her to Wilfred, who had yet to say a word. He merely nodded and took Belle into her room. Standing to face Donna, he noticed that in his current form, she was much shorter than himself. Softly, he put his fingers on her temples, eyes locked and and lightly tapped into her. He was startled out, not so much by the memories she held of them, but when he registered her heartbeat. It was irregualr enough to make him press one hand against her chest, no matter the consequences, ignoring her indignant squawk and stared down at her.

"Two?"

Donna smiled knowingly at him and watched as he tried to solve the riddle on his own. Finally, he gave up.

"How?" He whispered, standing stock still.

"When I was pregnant with Belle, I got sick. I refused to abort her, I knew my baby would be important. And she healed me as she grew. Belle sent stem cells to save me and when I came to, I had two heartbeats. My babygirl had saved my life and I knew it." Donna's voice was tired, soft and loving as she gazed toward Belle's room before looking at him again.

"Oh. Donna thank you." He crushed the loving woman with the firey red hair and even worse temper to his chest.

"My Donna Noble, my brave Donna. I am so sorry for leaving you behind."

Donna held onto the arms that held her for a moment before trying to push him away to see his face.

"Doctor, stop. I already forgave you, you arse." Donna's eyes had welled up with tears that she stubbornly refused to let spill.

"Doctor. We have to get home." Martha softly interrupted. Only now did he notice that it had gotten dark.

"Go, go home and be with your babies. Don't tell your mum I'm here."

At Martha and Mickey's shocked glances, he chuckled and said "Did you forget that I check in? I like to play with the kids too. When you get home, ask them about the giraffe." He smiled widely and decided in that moment to protect his mismatched little family.

 **Hello everyone! I know the 11th doctor was a little bit ooc, but I tried to fix that at the end. I should probably warn you that most of this fic is going to be serious, and maybe I shouldve kept 10 as being with Donna, but I decided agaisnt that. Guys let me know what you think, please review! Love you. Bye! 3**


	3. Chapter 3

As night blanketed around them, Belle could be found in her night sky, while Donna and himself could be found outside, laying on a blue blanket to watch their own night sky.

"Did you ever visit me? After I couldn't remember you?"

He sighed and nodded solemnly, sitting up and pulling his gangly knees to his chest. Heaving a deep breath, he looked up at the sky.

"When I visited you, it was my last leg with my old face. I had ony stayed briefly, long enough for Sylvia and Wilfred to thank me for bringing you home. You only said "See ya." and returned to your call as I left. Wilfred promised to watch the skies in search of me on your behalf, given that you couldn't remember me." When he looked at Donna, he saw that she had turned away and now lay with her back to him.

"Donna."

"Doctor."

"Look at me. It may not be the same face, but it's the same emotions, the same memories. What happened to my sassy Donna Noble who saved that family in Pompeii? The fierce woman who refused to take no for an answer? The woman who knew the world and the many other worlds and still expressed compassion for other living things? The woman I've missed for so long?"

"It's been six years, Doctor. That woman turned into a scared and beaten down mother who just got part of her life back. That woman lost her backbone when her beautiful baby showed up. Maybe she'll find it again on another planet."

Donna had turned to lay on her back, the tears slipping down into her ginger hair.

"I missed you without knowing that it was you I was missing. Belle has always wanted to know you. She's why I remember, and she's why I'm still alive. And you're the reason behind it all, Doctor."

"I'm back now Donna. I'm right here."

As they lay on the blanket, hands clasped and whispering to each other, they didn't notice the three sets of eyes from three different windows peering out at the couple. From one window, however, the eyes were remarkably different. In the ktichen, Donna's mum Sylvia could be found, however her usually brown eyes were pitch black, a smirk marring her kind face.

 **On my next chap. I'm going to focus on Belle in the beginning and maybe this will become a sort of cross over by chapter 5 with Sam Dean and Castiel :) Love you guys! Bye 3**


	4. Chapter 4

_**DIsclaimer in ch. 1, Nothing but Belle belongs to me. And the plot. Ciao.**_

Belle stood at her window, looking down on her mum and da as they lay together. She noticed that Grandpa was watching them as well from his tool shed down the hall and Grandma had stopped washing the dishes in favor of merely standing and watching them. When Belle glanced down at her, she realized that her Grandmother's charming rich brown eyes had turned a terrifying solid black. Quickly, Belle jumped back from her window to slide inbetween the lilac covers of her bed and pretended to sleep.

Donna slowly walked up to the TARDIS, as if it were an animal poised to bite her. Lightly she touched the wood that had been broken and charred, split and cracked open, wood that held so many good memories and as many bad memories for the both of them. When Donna placed her hand on the blue box belonging to this madman, it began to hum pleasantly, recognizing Donna for who she was. The only human being to look inside her mainframe and survive. When Donna pulled her hand away sharply, the humming stopped. Slowly she placed her hand along the edge of the box, her fingers curving around the side and stared in disbelief as the humming began again, this time picking up a slight rhythm. Turning around, she stared at the man still prone on the ground.

"She recognizes you. Very important, that."

"Why?"

"Because, after all, you are the only person to retain information from her, and now she sees you as part of herself."

Donna nodded distractedly, turned around once more, and pressed against the box, forehead to wood, eyes closed and breathing deeply. It smelled, she imagined, like space would. Open, fresh, clean, maybe a hint of spice or something floral. When he placed his hand next to hers, Donna started and gasped as the music changed, a haunting tune wafting through the small space.

"Everyone has their own song." He murmured quietly.

Donna nodded and slid her hand to meet his, entwined their fingers. The music changed again, this time full of crescendos, diminuendos and staccato, it reminded Donna of the orchestra from her visits to the Dominion Theatre in London. Suddenly, she faced him and realized that the music reflected their lives.

"Doctor, why is your-" Swiftly she was shushed by the finger resting on her lips.

"No. That is something I'm not ready to talk about yet. One day I'll tell you about _her_ , but not today. You didn't listen to either of our songs in full. You have much the same in yours." The Doctor looked carefully at her, wondering why she was so interested in a song younger than himself and yet, he understood. She wanted to understand his pain, and what had caused the old Gaelic song to play from his trusted box, the only companion that never left him, and truly, that was the most of it. Donna would age without him, leave him alone with part of themselves in his care, Belle. No matter how Donna changed and how she eventually threw him back into that partially lonely existence, he vowed that, for as long as he could, Belle wouldn't know that pain. Belle would have friends, and she would have him, always.

Donna stood silently, confused as to who this mysterious _her_ was, but she knew better than to ask, even if he was acting like a wanker about it. She watched the war rage on his face, plain for anyone to see, and realized how misplaced it seemed. Studying him, she saw laugh lines surrounding his mouth, and small crows feet that were hardly noticeable unless you were really looking, but in his eyes, Donna saw pain. Pain that she recognized, that she knew he felt for the ones he'd lost before coming back to her.

Pulling back from his vehement thoughts, he noticed a sound that wasn't part of any song coming from his box, and categorized it as coming from somewhere inside. He didn't have any companions inside, no monsters. Watching Donna, he untangled their fingers and held a finger to his own lips when she looked startled, affronted, and quietly crept inside. Gazing around, he wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to see, but found a ragged angel staring solemnly back at him.

"Hello Doctor."

 _ **Hello everyone. I know, this chapter has been an exceptionally long time coming, but it's here now and that's that. The next chapter should be up soon. Their songs are based off of the classical genre, and you can find them on youtube, but I'll write the names here.**_

 _ **Donna's Song= Passacaglia ~ Secret Garden**_

 _ **Doctor's Song= Gabhaim Molta Brighde-Haunting Gaelic song by Aoife Ni Fhearraigh**_

 _ **Their Song= Tchaikovsky Symphony #6 (Seoul Phil Orchestra)**_

 _ **I know this chapter has been OOC, especially the ending, but I figured they need a bit of calm and curiosity at the moment.**_


End file.
